This invention relates to information recording and processing equipment. More particularly, although not exclusively it discloses an improved apparatus for registering patrons entering a club or collecting and processing information entered by customers of commercial establishments.
Current laws relating to licenced clubs require that the identities and addresses of members and visitors entering the premises be recorded. Such information must be kept by the clubs for a number of years. At present clubs use books of pre-printed forms on carbonless sheets or NRC paper. Each patron upon entering has to fill out a form which is then torn off and kept as proof of temporary membership. The duplicate remaining in the book becomes the club""s record of the visit. Such books however are expensive and bulky to store. Further, there is no way for management to easily process or analyse the records to obtain marketing information on for example the frequency that certain persons use the club or the geographic areas most served by the club. While paperless registration systems have been proposed which to some extent address the above problems using such apparatus is often difficult and daunting for elderly persons.
It is therefore an object of this invention to ameliorate the aforementioned disadvantages and accordingly a registration apparatus for club or retail use is disclosed. said apparatus including a console with a window aperture for display of a pre-printed form for handwritten completion by a customer, means for obtaining information off the underside of said form, and means for paperless storage and/or transmission of said handwritten information to viewing stations.
Preferably said written information is stored on hard disk with an in house sequential number linked to the patron""s issued entry docket.
It is further preferred that said written information be displayed on a remote monitor and/or a monitor at the back of said console for viewing by club personnel.
It is further preferred that said form or a copy thereof be returned to said customer after photographing original handwritten details by the camera capture unit.